Want to win a Golden Globe? Hire Russell Crowe
Sheila Johnson, Staff Writer
The night began with the "Arrivals Special," not to be confused with the oh-so-passé "Pre-Show." As you may have figured, it was Dick Clark and other correspondents cracking corny jokes and flattering stars. Clark proved how well he prepared for the interviews when he asked Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon if they'd ever done a movie together. Yes, Dick, it was this unimportant little film called "Cruel Intentions." It had absolutely no impact whatsoever on either of their careers or at the box office.
There were lots of expectations for the Australians this year, especially for Nicole Kidman and...what's his name? Oh, yes...Russell Crowe, reigning Lord and Master of the Golden Globe Awards, who won accolades last year for "Gladiator" and whose film "A Beautiful Mind" was nominated multiple times this year.
This indeed was Kidman's night; she was nominated for best actress in a drama for "The Others" and in a musical/comedy for "Moulin Rouge." And instead of prancing around the awards circuit with a trophy who has almost the same last name (Cruise? Cruz?), the regal Kidman brought along her parents.
Next, director Opie - um, Ron Howard - said one of the most satisfying parts of working on "A Beautiful Mind" was that it put a "...face on schizophrenia" for many. He must have forgotten to mention that his Golden Globes were in the bag due to having Lord Crowe star. Here's the Hollywood tip of the day: if as a director you want to get attention and accolades for your film, hire Russell
Crowe. It's a sure bet...until I'm proven wrong, of course.
The music industry was represented by the presence of Steven Tyler, and the prison system was well-represented by Sean Combs, whose name for this week I seem to have forgotten.
Halle Berry began the actual awards ceremony by presenting Jennifer Connelly with the award for Best Supporting Actress for a Drama/ Musical/ Comedy for "A Beautiful Mind." Connelly looked as if she'd gone into shock; someone must have not told her about the "Crowe Effect." Sela Ward then announced the nominees for Best Actor in a Comedy/ Musical series. Charlie Sheen won the award for Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical and said winning was "so surreal. This is like a sober acid trip." I'm not touching that one.
NBC showed good standing with three shows nominated for best musical or comedy series: "Friends," "Will & Grace" and "Frasier." Of course, they all lost to "Sex and The City." Sara Jessica Parker also won best actress for the hit series.
HBO's latest series, "Six Feet Under," also showed good standing and won for Best Dramatic Series. Rachel Griffins won Best Supporting Actress, while Peter Kraus was nominated for Best Actor.
The reign of anyone who just happens to have been connected to Crowe or "A Beautiful Mind" continued when Akiva Goldsman won Best Screenplay.
One of the big awards of the night was the Cecil B. deMille award, presented to Harrison Ford by Ben Affleck. Harrison's funny and touching speech proved he deserved it. He claimed himself lucky because "I'm in a category where the competition is dead."
Sissy Spacek won Best Actress in a Drama for "In the Bedroom," which was no surprise. Sir Ian McKellan (star of "Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship of the Ring," which was robbed of awards this year) came out to present for Best Actor in a Drama and decided to represent that "small group of British actors who were not in 'Gosford Park'." And the winner for Best Actor was...Oh, do I really need to tell you? The winner was He-Who-Seems-To-Be-The-Key-To-Winning-Anything, Especially-At-The-Golden-Globes Crowe. As for Crowe's speech, I stopped paying attention after "Thank you..."
"A Beautiful Mind" then won Best Motion Picture Drama. There is a pattern here. Last year, Crowe was in "Gladiator," which ruled the Golden Globes, and "A Beautiful Mind" did the same thing this year - yet another movie in which Crowe stars. I do believe we have a megastar here, people. And as a first for an awards show, it ended about ninety seconds early.
As for total impressions, the show was fun. It lagged in some areas and picked up the slack in others. All in all, however, the Golden Globes was a fun-filled romp for the whole family. Well, except for that whole "Lord of the Rings" loss.
